While England was losing to India by 100 runs in Lucknow in the second inning, head coach Matthew Mott of the national team discovered the qualification scenario for the 2025 Champions Trophy. This information was made public after the ICC earlier that Sunday verified the qualification procedure. Pakistan is set to host the Champions Trophy in 2025.
The ICC board approved the 2025 Champions Trophy qualification process in a meeting that took place in November 2021. The top seven teams from the 2023 World Cup in India were to compete for the remaining seven spots, with Pakistan guaranteed entrance as the host country. Remarkably, this crucial choice was kept secret and not communicated to the press or general public.
Soon after England’s defeat, Matthew Mott confirmed in a press conference that he had only “about an hour and a half ago” learned about the top eight qualifying requirements.
“The ICC does change the rules quite a bit with qualification, and to be honest, I don’t think it would affect, in any way, the way we’ve played in this tournament, so it’s not a big deal,” Mott explained.
Points Table for ODI World Cup 2023
The England team’s lack of communication over the circumstances for selecting the Champions Trophy
With five losses from six group stage games, England is firmly buried at the bottom of the standings. The group must triumph in two of its final three games to guarantee a spot in the Champions Trophy. They play Australia in Ahmedabad; they then play Pakistan in Kolkata and the Netherlands in Pune.
The ECB has had significant staff changes since the board meeting in November 2021, including the chief executive, chair, and managing director of men’s cricket, in addition to changes in coaching and captaincy positions in all formats.
England captain Jos Buttler was questioned about his knowledge of the qualification process and whether it gave them more motivation for their remaining three matches at the post-match presentation. “Yes, I am aware of that,” he disclosed. Indeed, it just serves to highlight how much remains to be gained.”